Nucras margaritae BAUER, CHILDERS & BURGER, 2025
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Nucras margaritae
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| Higher Taxa | Lacertidae, Eremiadinae, Sauria, Lacertoidea, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Nucras margaritae BAUER, CHILDERS & BURGER 2025: 488 |
| Distribution | Zambia Type locality: Zambia, Northern Province, 5.3 km WSW of Senga Hill, -9.386°, 31.19683°, 1650 m elevation |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: NMB (National Museum, Bloemfontein) R11574 (field number MBUR [Marius Burger] 01427), adult female (confirmed by epiphyseal fusion in long bones in radiographs). (see Distribution below). Collected by Marius Burger, 27 November 2005. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A moderately sized (SVL to at least 65 mm) Nucras distinguished from all congeners by having 46–48 dorsal scale rows across midbody, enlarged plates on the preaxial face of the forearm (Fig. 7B), two granules between the supraocular and supraciliary scales on each side (Fig. 8B), a tiny parietal window evident in interparietal scale (Figs. 7C–D), 26 subdigital lamellae under digit IV of the pes, 28 femoral pores (14 on each side with a diastema of two poreless scales medially), nape and forebody bearing three pale stripes, no stripes on flanks, distinct barring on lateral surface of head and neck (Fig. 8B), and flanks bearing more-or-less vertically oriented pale spots surrounded by thick black borders (Figs. 7A, 8A). Nucras margaritae sp. nov. differs from N. lalandii in having enlarged plates on the preaxial face of the forearm, from N. boulengeri in having more (26 versus 24) subdigital lamellae under digit IV of the pes and granules present between the supraocular and supraciliary scale rows; from N. scalaris and N. aurantiaca in having a color pattern with longitudinal elements (versus crossbands only and a more-or-less uniform/patternless dorsum, respectively); and from N. intertexta in lacking pale dorsal spots or reticulations. In having three pale dorsal stripes on the nape, N. margaritae sp. nov. is distinguished from N. tessellata (usually two or four stripes on nape), N. livida (six stripes on nape), N. broadleyi (four stripes on nape), and N. taeniolata (four or five stripes on nape). It shares three stripes on the nape with N. caesicaudata, N. holubi, N. damarana, and N. ornata (although the vertebral stripe may be lacking in the last of these), but differs from N. caesicaudata in having fewer pale stripes on the body dorsum (three versus seven), lacking a bright blue tail, and in its larger body size (65 versus 57 mm maximum SVL). Nucras margaritae sp. nov. is most similar to N. ornata, N. damarana, and N. holubi. Nucras margaritae sp. nov. differs from N. holubi and N. damarana in possessing a distinct barring pattern on the temporal region and neck and having the pale markings of the anterior flank arranged vertically (versus lateral pattern of neck and trunk comprising pale spots in one or two more-or-less horizontal rows). It differs from N. ornata in possessing a visible parietal window (Figs. 7C–D) in the interparietal scale (usually absent in N. ornata, including northern specimens; D.G. Broadley, unpubl. data—the consistency of this character in N. margaritae sp. nov. can only be evaluated when more specimens are available), and in its smaller size (65 versus 95 mm maximum SVL). The head also appears to be more depressed, but due to variation in the position of fixation we were not able to confirm this impression. Broadley (1972) considered that variation in several scale characters, including the number of transverse rows of ventral scales, was uninformative in the N. tessellata group, but his comparisons were confounded by the fact that his taxonomy resulted in the lumping of some now-accepted species. It may or may not be of note that the holotype of N. margaritae sp. nov. has 29 transverse rows of ventral scales between the collar and groin. While this falls within the range of N. ornata from Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique (n = 39; range 28–35; mean 31.3), only three individuals had a count below 30, and among 107 specimens of “N. ornata” from Zimbabwe (Broadley’s concept of N. ornata included N. holubi as well), the mean was 31.1. Of course, the reliability of putative diagnostic features in N. margaritae sp. nov., as for all taxa known from a single individual, must be considered tentative until such time as variability in the species can be assessed. Finally, N. margaritae sp. nov. can be excluded as the undescribed species illustrated by Broadley and Berry (2004), as the only photograph of the latter species reveals four pale stripes on the nape and on the sides of the neck, and a pale-yellow longitudinal stripe extending to the shoulder, where it breaks up into a series of spots. Moreover, the photographed individual lacks any trace of barring on the neck and temporal region. (Bauer et al. 2025) Additional details (10263 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Only known from the holotype. Similar species: N. ornata |
| Etymology | Named after Margarita Metallinou (1985– 2015), “whose untimely passing during fieldwork in Zambia was a great loss to systematic herpetology and to all who knew her”. |
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